E24 Community Studios

E24 Community Studios (Carrillo Corner)

For nearly 40 years, Dixi Carrillo owned and operated a small compound of seven live-work studios for working Oakland artists. She and her husband Mario lovingly renovated each unit, giving each studio a unique twist with their own artistic input. They always rented the studios at below-market rates to creative individuals because they understood the struggle and trade-offs artists often make in order to balance art making with survival. This generosity has created a safe, productive space for many tenants over the years, including several long-term residents of over 25 years. Dixi approached OakCLT with a proposition: she would sell the building to the land trust at a discount if OakCLT would commit to keeping the studios affordable just as she and Mario had done for decades. With the support of the tenants, OakCLT and Dixi worked out a plan, OakCLT secured financing from the City of Oakland’s Measure KK Site Acquisition program, and the transfer look place in July 2018. OakCLT and the tenants are working on establishing a housing cooperative where the residents will collectively own the building, while the land will remain permanently in the land trust.